Torgerson Announces Run for Congress

Lynne Torgerson announced Sunday she would run as a Republican in 2012 for the office of U.S. Representative in Minnesota's 5th Congressional District, which includes St Louis Park.

The announcement came at a home-turned-campaign headquarters in northeast Minneapolis before a small gathering of supporters.

With her campaign theme song, "Oh, Happy Day," playing in the background, Torgerson said she was "entering the race to stand for the moral, Judeo-Christian values the country was founded upon.

"That's our foundation, and if we don't have our foundation in place, then the economy and things aren't going to be doing so well."

Ran in 2010

Torgerson is a Minneapolis attorney who ran against the incumbent, U.S. Rep. Keith Ellison (DFL-MN), as an independent in 2010.

She expressed support for "traditional family values" and opposition toward gay-rights legislation.

She said she believes "government can't create jobs, but we can create an environment in which businesses can flourish." And she said she would seek to "greatly curtail the power of the unions."

Sharia Law Charge

Torgerson went on to say:

It is important ... to support our U.S. Constitution. I think I still need to expose Keith Ellison for being a radical Islamist.

I do believe that he says he does eventually want to replace the U.S. Constitution with Sharia law.

He evaded the question. He refuses to state that the U.S. Constitution should be supreme over Sharia law, which is to me quite surprising.

He talked about how the Constitution has been amended and it appears that he would amend the Constitution to incorporate Sharia law.

Other Issues

Torgerson also voiced support for "green energy," "a better food supply—organic foods, non-genetically-altered foods;" reducing the national debt, and health-care reform—including the need "to reduce the power of health insurance companies dramatically."

At the end of her announcement, Torgerson proposed a toast "to victory in 2012. And if not then, 2020."